The instrument, purchased on behalf of a anonymous client by Ric Heinl, a violin dealer from Toronto, is a "late period" Stradivarius. Antonio Stradivari's "golden period" was from 1700 to 1720, and instruments he made during that time are the most valuable. A "golden period" violin known as "The Hammer" sold last year at Christie's for a record $3.5 million.

Known as "The Solomon, Ex-Lambert," the instrument sold yesterday was acquired in 1922 for about $5,000 for Dorothy Mary Murray Lambert, a British concert violinist and one of the few women soloists at the time. It was later acquired for $49,000 by Seymour Solomon, co-founder of Vanguard Records.

The Solomon, which had been valued at between $1 million and $1.5 million, sold for $1.2 million more than its expected highest bid.